Free at Last
by ronandhermione113
Summary: The battle of Hogwarts is over but Ron and Hermione still need to confront their feelings for each other. Hopefully better than it sounds : Enjoy R/Hr


Hey Lovlies ,how is everyone? I'm here with a pretty good sized one shot for you. I've been thinking about this idea in my head for a while so hopefully it turns out as good as it sounded in my head. Of course, it's Ron and Hermione and it will be one chapter (a pretty long chapter though). As always, Ignore my grammar and spelling and remember to leave your feedback (good or bad). And without further note, I present to you "Free At Last".

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Time had stopped, everything was moving in slow motion around her. Hermione snapped back into the world and blinked. She was sitting outside the great hall, where everyone else was mourning over the lost and the wounded were being cared for. She had to leave, she couldn't stand to see the broken bodies and the people she loved crying their eyes out. It hurt her too much. The battle was over, but the castle was trashed and so many of the people she loved were now gone forever. She looked down at the cracked shiny marble floor and she was startled by her appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot and tear stained. She had gashes all over her face and purple bags under her eyes from her lack of sleep over the past year. Her hair was in knots and her lips were chapped. Her clothing was ripped and had blood all over it. Her appearance made her burst into tears once again. She cried for Ron's brother Fred. She cried for Tonks and Lupin. She even cried for Lavender Brown, a girl whom she had hated all of sixth year. She cried for everyone that had lost their lives during this life changing battle.

Just as she wiped away the final tears, the doors to the great hall opened. She looked up from her hands and saw her best friends Harry and Ron standing there. Harry's face was tear stained but Ron's had no trace of a single tear. She stumbled towards them and joined them for a group hug. Hermione cried into their shoulders and they held her tightly. After ten minutes they broke apart.  
"Hermione, why don't you and Ron go upstairs and get some rest." Harry mumbled softly. She looked at him and shot him a small smile. She nodded. She really did need some rest, and now that it was all over maybe she could sleep calmly.  
"I'm going to stay down here for a while." Ron and Hermione nodded. Harry turned back towards the door but Hermione grabbed him into a tight hug.  
"Harry, I love you." She said as she let go from the hug.  
"I love you too Hermione, and I love you too Ron. I just want to say thank you for everything; for sticking around me through this whole thing. I'm so grateful I didn't have to do this alone. Thank you for being my friends." He smiled. Ron hugged him and Hermione lightly pecked his cheek.  
"I can't imagine my life normal. And I can't imagine it without you two idiots." She giggled. This made both boys laugh. The sound was magical; she hadn't heard them laugh in so long.  
"Me either, I'm glad we are friends." Ron said. After that Harry disappeared into the great hall.

Hermione turned to Ron and smiled. She could see the hurt on his face. He seemed broken. She didn't know how he hadn't cried this whole time. He was being so brave. His brother had died and he was staying strong for his family. She knew there was a reason she fell in love with him. She opened her arms and he wrapped himself in her embrace. He dug his head into her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. She held the back of his head and ran her fingers in his knotted red hair. They broke apart and he sighed. He held out his large hand and she locked her small fingers with his. They walked upstairs to the common room. The Gryffindor tower was surprisingly still in one piece.  
"Let's shower and meet back down here when we are done." He suggested.  
"Sounds alright to me but there's one problem, I have nothing to sleep in." Her bag with all her clothes in it was long gone. She knew Ron always kept clothes upstairs in his old dorm room.  
"I have some stuff upstairs, hold on." He said as he sprinted up the stairs to the boys dorm rooms and returned two quick moments later with his favorite Chudley Cannons T-shirt and a pair of black pajama pants. He smiled and handed them to her.  
"Thank you Ron. So we meet back here after our showers. "He nodded and they parted.

Hermione slowly climbed the stairs up the bathroom of the girl's tower. She hoped that someone had left soap and shampoo behind. When she got there she stood in front of the mirror and stared for a minute. She slowly stripped from her dirty clothes and turned on the shower to the hottest setting. The room quickly filled with steam and she stepped in. The water burned and soothed for aching muscles. She stood there taking in the warmth for a few minutes and began to work on getting the years' worth of dirt off her body. It took an hour to get all the dirt of her body and to get her hair clean. She finally turned the spicket off and stepped out of the shower. She was close to tears, and she didn't know why. But she tried her best not to cry again. She brushed the knots out of her wet hair and brushed her teeth. Finally, she put on Ron's T-shirt, which was huge on her and the oversized pants which she rolled at the waste and ankles. She went back into the bedroom and grabbed blankets and pillows off the beds, and made her way back down the stairs.

When she got to the bottom she got stopped for a moment, looking across the room at Ron who was sitting on the couch staring into the fire with no expression on his face. She knew he was numb, and she was pretty sure he was going to shut down in shock. She wished that she could do something to help him but they best thing she could do was be there for him. She grabbed the blanket and moved over to the couch. She wrapped the blanket over his shoulders and sat down. His hair was wet and he was wearing a blue shirt, which brought out his ocean blue eyes beautifully.  
"hey." Was all he said as he turned to her and gave her a slight smile.  
"How are you?" she asked softly, taking his hands in hers.  
"I don't know actually. I can't feel anything." Her heart fell.  
"I know Ron, it's okay. I feel the same." She grabbed his shoulders and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and let out a sad sound. She released him and looked into his eyes.  
"You know, you don't have to be brave for anyone. Ron you lost your brother its okay to cry sometimes. Holding it in isn't good for you. I've cried about a hundred times today."  
"I have to be strong, for my family and for you." He said softly. His voice cracking as he tried his best to get the words out.  
"Your family isn't here. And you don't have to be brave for me. I already know your one of the bravest men I've ever met. I'm here for you, okay?"

He stared at her for a moment. And then he whimpered and began sobbing. All the tears he had held in this whole year were coming out in streams down his face. When the crying began hysterical she embraced him and rubbed his back. He dug his face into her shirt and sobbed. It broke her heart but she was glad that he was letting it out. After a few minutes she began to cry too.  
"I miss Fred." He managed to choke out in between sobs.  
"I know, I miss him too." She cried. Ron pulled her head into his chest and they continued to sob. He was holding Hermione really close to him and he had his face buried in her hair. When the sobbing began to let up they decided to go to bed. Hermione put the pillows on the couch and stretched out. She opened up her arms for Ron and she patted her leg. He layed his head down on her lap and covered the two of them with a big Gryffindor blanket. She wiped a tear that was sitting on cheek away and he smiled.  
"Thanks Hermione, I feel better. I really needed that."  
"Anytime Ron, I mean it. It's always fine to let it out in front of me." He smiled.  
"I knew there was a reason why I love you." He blurted out. His cheeks flushed with deep red and so did Hermione's. She could not believe he just said that.  
"I love you too Ron." She whispered in his ear. He smiled and shut his eyes. Hermione held him close to her, taking in his warmth and delicious smell. She began to stroke his damp red hair. She loved to run her fingers through it. His fiery locks were soft against her fingers. She ran the back of her hands over his tear stained cheeks and intertwined her fingers with his. Finally she heard him snoring and she smiled. Her eyes began to get heavy and she fell into a peaceful sleep with the boy she loved sleeping on her lap.

The sunlight blared through the window in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione slowly opened her eyes and was blinded by the ray of golden sunlight shining in her face. She blinked and realized that she and Ron had shifted positions in the middle of the night and he was now lying beside her, his strong arms wrapped around her and his feet draped gently over her legs. She smiled brightly. Today was a new day. The war was over and they could all move on with their lives and begin to live again. She yawned and attempted to break free of his embrace without waking him up. He looked so peaceful and she didn't want to disturb him. When she broke free she went upstairs, brushed her hair and her teeth and made her way back down to the great hall to see what everybody was doing.

When she got down there she found a much different scene than last night. Everyone was quietly mingling while the nurse walked around and gave out biscuits. Hermione slowly walked past everyone and tried to smile. She knew people were hurt but they were all being brave. To her left the wounded lay sleeping and to her right the Weasleys and a dozen other families were soundly sleeping up against each other. Hermione approached the nurse and asked for two plates. After the nurse handed them to her she thought she would go upstairs and surprise Ron with some food. On her way out Mr. Weasley caught her at the door and pulled her to a bench that was next to them.  
"How is Ron?" Mr. Weasley asked with concern. He was obviously pained by the death of his son but he was also concerned about his youngest son's mental condition.  
"He's upstairs asleep. Last night we just talked and he got things off of his mind."  
"I'm glad he did. He needed to let those thoughts out." Hermione nodded.  
"I just want to say thank you for being there for him. You've been a big part of his life and he thinks very highly of you."  
"He does? He is so brave. I think high of him too." She smiled. Thinking back to the kiss they had shared in the room of requirement. It hasn't been the right time to discuss it with Ron but she was pretty sure he felt the same as she did.  
"So, did you two kiss?" Mr. Weasley asked in a cheerful voice. Hermione blushed and nodded her head. "Yeah we did." She giggled. "And it was about time too. I've had a crush on him since second year." She didn't know why she was telling his father this but she didn't care about putting her feelings hidden anymore.  
"He can say the same about you. I'm glad you too finally are in a place you both want to be. Thanks again Hermione. Well, he's probably wondering where you are. Go on." He shooed her away and she turned back and hugged him. He was built similar to Ron.  
"Thank you, for being a second father to me." Hermione said as she dashed up the stairs. She really did appreciate that man.

When she got upstairs she found Ron still layed out on the couch sound asleep. She walked over to him and stared for a moment. She was head over heels in love with this boy. She bent down and grabbed his hand rolling him off the couch. He landed in the floor with a loud thump and she burst out in laughter. He opened his eyes and stared up at her for a moment before he started laughing too. They laughed hard until their voices couldn't laugh anymore.  
"I brought you breakfast." She beamed. He hugged her around the neck and whispered 'thank you' in her ear. They talked and laughed while they were enjoying their breakfast together. After, they sat next to the fire, saying nothing at all.  
"Hermione, I think we have to talk about something." She knew he meant the kiss but to be honest she was afraid of how this conversation was going to go.  
"I know. Before we say anything I just want to say that I don't take back the kiss even a little. I've wanted to do that for so long." He blushed and froze to the spot.  
"I think I am in love with you Ronald. And I can't just ignore it anymore. I think I have been in love with you since before I even knew what love was." She blurted out. She blushed and stared at him. He was looking at her lips with a dreamy look in his eyes.  
"Well, are you going to kiss me or not?" Hermione said boldly. Ron went in for it and closed the space between them. As soon as their lips locked Hermione could feel the sparks ignite. The kiss in the room of requirement had been rushed and quick but this kiss was much different. Ron had his hands her cheeks and Hermione was tugging at the his hair. The kiss was deep and passionate, slow and sweet. Their lips moved in harmony and they finally broke apart when they needed air. Her brown eyes met his blue ones and they just sat there staring into each other's eyes.  
"I love you too Hermione. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've never felt this way about any girl before. You're the only one for me. "She smiled and pecked his lips once more.  
"I'm yours. You have me now and now we have us." His cheeks flooded with red.  
"It's about time." Ron laughed, letting out a deep sigh of relief.  
"I know, and it only took us almost dying for us to realize that we both liked each other."  
"But it doesn't matter now. We are together and that's all that matters."  
"Forever and always." Ron said sweetly. After that they walked downstairs and met up with Harry.

"Well it's about time you too." Harry smiled as he stared down at their locked hands. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and shared a sweet smile and then turned back to Harry.  
"But Ron, remember she is still my best friend and if you do anything to hurt her I will have to put out the killing curse on you."  
"Wouldn't dream of it mate." The three of them laughed and connected hands. They walked out on the castle bridge and smiled. All three of them knew that it could only get better from that point on. And the future looked bright.

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End


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